In December of 2012, Bullhorn conducted its annual trends survey of North American recruiting agency professionals, seeking to assess the state of the staffing industry from the vantage point of business performance, recruiter compensation, recruiting technologies, and measurement best practices. In addition to the 2013 North American Staffing and Recruiting Trends Report, the 2013 EMEA Staffing and Recruitment Trends Report and the 2013 APAC Staffing and Recruitment Trends Report are also available on the Bullhorn website.

1. Two St e p s
Forward
O ne Ste p
Back
2 013
North American Staffing and Recruiting Trends Report

2. CONTE NTS
4
OPPORTUNI TIES A ND CH ALLENGES
7
S OCIA L RECRUI TING
10
C L IENT A ND TA L ENT ACQUI SITION
1 1 ME AS URING SUCCESS
1 7 RECRUI TING TECHNO LOGY
1 8 COMPENSATION
Introduction
In December of 2012, Bullhorn conducted its annual trends survey of North American recruiting agency
professionals, seeking to assess the state of the staffing industry from the vantage point of business performance,
recruiter compensation, recruiting technologies, and measurement best practices. In addition to the 2013 North
American Staffing and Recruiting Trends Report, the 2013 EMEA Staffing and Recruitment Trends Report and
the 2013 APAC Staffing and Recruitment Trends Report are also available on the Bullhorn website.
2012 was a positive year for recruiters and candidates alike — a year in which social recruiting became truly
ubiquitous and general revenue performance improved — but it was not without setbacks. Management
compensation expectations increased, but recruiter compensation expectations significantly decreased. And
despite the vast majority of respondents considering mobile access to recruiting technology important to their
success, it doesn’t appear that they’re fully leveraging the benefits such access affords them.
2

3. Key Findings
• Expected total compensation has
• Executive search recruiters had a
steadily increased for staffing firm VPs,
higher hit rate and average number of
directors, and managers over the past
applications per job post than recruiters
three years, but it has steadily decreased for
specializing in direct hire, contract/
recruiters, account managers, and sales
consulting, and temporary positions.
representatives.
• Job boards were ranked least effective
• The most important metric for measuring
for finding high-quality candidates among
agency performance in 2012 was “total
methods including social media, referrals,
number of placements.”
networking, and in-house candidate
• 73% of respondents reported that their
firms met or exceeded their revenue goals
for 2012, compared to 70% in 2011.
• More firms used standardized metrics to
measure performance outcomes in 2012
than in 2011.
• 98% of respondents used social media for
recruiting in 2012, versus 94% in 2011.
• More recruiters reported success placing
candidates they found on Facebook than
databases.
• 92% expect their firm’s revenue
performance will improve in 2013,
down from 96% in 2012.
• The single greatest opportunity for
recruiters in 2013 is “increased access to
passive candidates via social media.”
• 82% of staffing agency executives plan
to add staff to their business in 2013,
an increase of almost 3% over 2012.
those they found on Twitter.
3

4. Looking Back at 2 012
2012 was a slightly more successful year for the staffing industry — at least as reflected by revenue
performance — than 2011 and 2010. Over the past year, 37.5% of respondents exceeded their revenue goals,
while 35.6% met them, and 27% fell short. Compare this to 2011, when only 27% exceeded their goals, 43%
met them, and 30% fell short of their goals. Despite a narrow increase of 3.1%, a greater number of recruiters
performed to expectation or out-performed in 2012 compared with 2011.
Firms That Met or
Exceeded Revenue Goals
2012 Firm
Revenue Performance
27%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Exceeded Goals
Met Goals
Did Not Meet Goals
36%
71%
70%
73%
2010
37%
2011
2012
On the heels of the Great Recession, in 2010, 36% of recruiters said their firm exceeded their revenue goals,
35% met them, and 29% fell short. The survey in 2009 found recruiters to be especially bullish about 2010,
OPPOR T
looking for glimmers of hope after such terrible economic times. Perhaps such positive 2010 performance
was merely indicative of how significantly 2009 revenue performance had lowered expectations.
UNI T IE S A ND
Looking FORWARD TO 2 01 3
Looking forward to 2013, 40.6% of staffing agency owners, managers, directors, C-level executives, board
members, and VPs predict that revenue will increase between 11% and 25% over 2012, while 33.7% are
more ambitious – anticipating a revenue increase of greater than 25%. This ambition, however, is tempered
CH A LL
in comparison to last year’s predictions, in which 45% of recruiters felt that 2012 revenue would increase
by more than 25%. However, only 29% predicted an increase of more than 25% for 2011. Therefore, while
expectations for 2013 are less robust than they were in 2012, they’re certainly a marked improvement over
sentiments for 2011.
ENGES
4

5. 2013 Revenue
Growth Expectations
2%
Respondents Expecting Increase
in Revenue for Upcoming Year
0%
1%
100%
80%
5%
18%
Increase >25%
Increase >11% and <25%
Increase >0% and <10%
Stay the Same
Decrease >0% and <10%
34%
41%
31%
44%
34%
36%
41%
2012
2013
60%
36%
40%
20%
0%
2011
Increase >0% and <10%
Increase >11% and <25%
Increase >25%
Additionally, respondents believe that 2013 will be a year of unprecedented headcount growth and international
expansion. When agency leaders were asked if they plan to add staff to their business in 2013, a whopping
81.6% said yes. Any hesitation to invest in more recruiting personnel appears to have waned. Similarly, 47.9%
of recruiters said their companies would expand into new geographies in 2013 (compared to 44% in 2012).
With advances in mobile recruiting and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technologies that allow firms to get new
branches up and running in a matter of hours, the obstacles for global growth are fewer than ever before.
Firm Growth Initiatives
for Upcoming Year
100%
80%
60%
82%
79%
75%
58%
40%
44%
48%
20%
0%
2011
Hiring
2012
2013 will be a year
of unprecedented
headcount growth
and international
expansion.
2013
Sector and Location Expansion
B igg est O p p ort un i t y for
Recruiting in 2013: Social Media
For the first time since Bullhorn began issuing annual Trends Reports, respondents we polled contended
that the single biggest overall opportunity for staffing and recruiting professionals in the upcoming year was
5

6. “increased access to passive candidates via social media.” Finding passive candidates through social media
was considered to have greater potential to advance the recruiting industry than introducing more efficient
business processes, an increase in flexible roles and workspaces, untapped growth in emerging economies,
increased business due to recruiting consolidation, and sourcing candidates from overseas.
C hal l en g es: Lack of Skilled Candidates
and Unrealistic Client Expectations
Recruiting professionals listed their
biggest challenge for 2013 as a lack of
Biggest Opportunity in 2013
for Staffing and Recruiting Professionals
skilled candidates (33%). Additionally,
in a separate question, 76.1% of
3%
respondents claimed to have a shortage
of skilled candidates in their respective
recruiting sectors. With more than half of
all North American respondents recruiting
6%
4%
Increased Access to Passive Candidates via Social Media
More Efficient Business Practices and Processes
Increase in Flexible Roles and Workplaces
7%
47%
15%
Untapped Growth in Emerging Economies
Increased Business Due to Recruiting Industry Consolidation
for industries including information
Sourcing International Candidates
18%
technology, this lack and/or shortage of
Other
“skilled candidates” quandary brings to
mind the war for talent (foreshadowed in
the 2011 Trends Report, “An Industry on
the Upswing”) over software developers
Biggest Obstacle in 2013
for Staffing and Recruiting Professionals
and programmers, especially in tech hubs
such as Boston, Silicon Valley, and New
York City.
3%
4% 3%
6%
The second most cited major challenge
for 2013 was unrealistic client
expectations (26.5%). One recruiter
contended that the biggest issue
was that “candidate compensation
33%
8%
Lack of Skilled Candidates
Unrealistic Client Expectations
Weak Economic Outlook
Lack of Innovation in Sourcing Candidates
Lack of New Jobs
17%
26%
Keeping Up with Supply of Contractors
Inefficient Candidate Management Systems
Other
requirements are not in line with client
expectations” – reflective of both
6

7. challenges. Recruiters also expressed worry about a weak economic outlook for 2013, suggesting that the
end of the Great Recession hasn’t fully appeased uncertainty over the direction of the economy.
Social Recruiting Isn’t New Anymore. It’s the Rule.
98.2% of recruiters we polled –
didn’t know how to use it. There
using Pinterest. Though more
undoubtedly a tech-savvy group
is no longer any question that
than half of respondents (51.3%)
– used social media for recruiting
social recruiting works – the only
used Facebook and 48.8% used
in 2012.
roadblock to full social media
Twitter, these percentages are
adoption in the staffing industry
lower than those of 2011, in
is that some still require further
which 60.2% used Facebook
education on how to maximize it.
and 51.5% Twitter. In contrast,
Social media usage has increased steadily over the past
three years. For the 1.8 percent
of respondents who didn’t take
In fact, 97.3% of recruiters used
advantage of social recruiting in
LinkedIn for recruiting in 2012.
2012, 29.2% said it was because
Newer social networks also
they didn’t know how to
gained traction, with 19.1% of
measure its effectiveness and
staffing professionals leveraging
25% claimed it was because they
more respondents used
Google Plus this year and 3.6%
Social Media Utilization
by Recruiting Professionals
80%
Social Media Channels
Utilized by Recruiters in 2012
S
100%
LinkedIn in 2012 than in 2011.
100%
92%
94%
98%
80%
60%
60%
40%
40%
20%
OCI AL
84%
20%
0%
2010
2011
2012
0%
LinkedIn Facebook
Twitter
Google + Blogging Pinterest Do Not Use
Social Media
2012
ING
2011
Other
RECRUIT
2009
7

8. Faceboo k M o re E ffe c t i v e
for Recruiting than Twitter?
Interestingly, when recruiters were asked which
Social Media Channels Utilized in
Successfully Placing a Candidate
social networks produced candidates they were
actually able to place, 16.7% selected Facebook
100%
while only 12.7% selected Twitter. This isn’t a
80%
new trend. In 2011, the same percentage (16.7%)
60%
successfully placed candidates from Facebook
40%
versus 10.1% with Twitter. This is surprising given
that a greater percentage of Bullhorn Reach users
have connected their Twitter accounts (29%)
93%
86%
20%
19% 17%
0%
LinkedIn Facebook
than their Facebook accounts (24%), believing
10% 13%
Twitter
2011
that Facebook yields less qualified candidates
7% 7%
2% 4%
1%
5% 9%
Google + Blogging Pinterest Other
2012
and should be used only for personal matters.
Social Media Channels Recruiters
Expect to Utilize More in 2013
Recruiters’ own experience and results from the
past two years prove that this is not the case,
and indicate that Facebook is a more utilized
100%
82.6%
and more effective social recruiting channel than
80%
Twitter. This isn’t to argue that Facebook is most
60%
effective, of course. 92.9% of respondents stated
40%
that LinkedIn produced candidates they were
20%
able to place.
37.4%
38.3%
22.0%
20.2%
6.5%
0%
LinkedIn Facebook
Twitter
3.5%
Google + Blogging Pinterest Other
Social Recruiting
Perception vs. Rea l i t y
recruiters more excited to use Twitter than Facebook
When asked which social networks they plan on using
the data shows that it does indeed have professional
more extensively in 2013, 82.6% of recruiters said
LinkedIn. Twitter pulled in 38.3% of the vote, while
only 37.4% said they’d use Facebook more often in
the coming year. But why, given that Facebook was
reported as being more widely-used and effective
in generating qualified candidates than Twitter, were
in 2013? While Facebook is more of a personal tool
than a professional one – as opposed to LinkedIn –
value. Meanwhile, for the first time, Pinterest made
the list for social media channels used by recruiters.
However, it still hasn’t proven its relevance for
recruiting, with only 6.5% planning to increase
their usage of it in 2013. Additionally, Google+ has
surpassed blogging in popularity for the coming year.
8

9. Benefits of Social Media
Eighty-three percent of recruiters reported that the biggest benefit of using social media for recruiting was
finding passive candidates, an increase of 6% over 2011, followed by building brand awareness, developing
new client leads, and filling jobs more quickly. In 2011, the fourth biggest benefit was reducing job board
spend, which came in fifth for 2012. Interestingly, although finding passive candidates grew in popularity as
a social recruiting benefit, almost
Biggest Benefits of
Social Media Recruiting
all other benefits decreased. Given
that respondents outlined the
100%
80%
77%
greatest opportunity for 2013 as
80%
access to passive candidates via
60%
47%
40%
39%
40%
35%
social media, it seems that finding
36%
28%
25% 26%
20%
25% 22%
passive candidates is of greater
16% 9%
focus to recruiters than building
2% 1%
0%
Find Passive
Candidates
Build Brand Develop New Reduce Job
Nurture
Drive Traffic Communicate
Awareness Client Needs Board Cost Client/Candidate to Website Corporate News
2011
brand awareness and even
Other
developing new client leads in the
2012
current business environment.
S ocial N et work i ng:
The Key to Obtaining New Clients
Social networking has made huge
Best Methods for
Obtaining New Clients
leaps over the past three years, finally
achieving recognition as the best
way to obtain new clients. Social
100%
networking tied for the top spot with
80%
attending networking events, ahead
60%
of joining professional groups and
40%
maintaining an online presence (e.g.
20%
website, blog). This is a departure
from 2011, where social networking
came in third, and 2010, where it
60% 61% 60%
80%
60%
57% 58% 59%
56%
43%
42%
45%
29%
21% 20%
16% 17%
10%
0%
Attend
Networking Events
Social
Networking
Search Engine
Join Professional Maintain an
Online Presence
Marketing
Groups
2011
2012
Other
2013
came in fourth.
9

10. Finding the Right Ta l ent
Recruiters rated the effectiveness of various common methods for finding candidates in 2012 on a scale
of 1 to 5 (1 being least effective, and 5 being most effective). “Networking with other people, firms, and
associations” came out on top with an average of 4.17, “referrals from previous placements” second with
4.08, and “in-house candidate databases” rounded out the top three at 3.84. Meanwhile, 45% of respondents
cited “social media” as a highly effective sourcing method, giving it an average rating of 3.48. This is in
contrast to 2011, when social media was in last place with a 3.18 rating. In 2012, the method ranked as
least effective for finding quality candidates was job boards.
Most Effective Method to
Source a Candidate
Networking
Referrals from Previous Placements
In-House Candidate Databases
Social Media
Job Boards
0
0.5
1
1.5
2011
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
2012
CL
IEN T A ND TA L EN T ACQ UISIT
Exec uti v e Se a rc h F i r ms
Receive Most Applications per Job Post
Forty-five percent of recruiters reported that, on
average, they received between 1 and 9 applications
for each job they posted in 2012, with 26.5% receiving
Average Applications Received
per Job Post
70%
60%
10-19 applications per job post, 12.7% getting 20-29
50%
applications, and a slightly higher percentage receiving
40%
30+ applications (15.8%). While the 1-9 application
30%
average seems low, this is across all industries and
types of firms.
45.0%
26.5%
20%
12.7%
10%
15.8%
20-29
30+
0%
1-9
10-19
ION
Segmented by industry vertical, Office/Clerical recruiters saw the highest average number of applications per
job post at 21, followed closely by Sales at 20. The four industries that reported the lowest average number
10

11. of applications per post were Public Sector, Real Estate, Information Technology, and Healthcare. This is
interesting given that Real Estate recruiters claimed the highest hit rate (starts divided by sendouts), covered
later in the report.
Average Applications Recieved
per Job Post by Industry
Office / Clerical
Sales
Industrial
Advertising / Creative / Marketing
Accounting / Banking / Finance
Construction
Legal
Scientific / Engineering
Energy / Mining
Public Sector
Real Estate
Information Technology
Healthcare
Average Applications Received
per Job Post by Firm Type
21
20
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
19
18
17
17
17
16
16
13
13
13
13
0
5
10
15
20
17
Executive
Search
17
Temporary
15
14
Direct Hire
Contract
/Consulting
25
Calculating average applications per job post by type of agency, those specializing in executive search and
temporary positions fared the best, with an average of 17 candidates. Direct hire and contract firms received
fewer candidates, averaging 15 and 14 applications per post respectively.
Measuring Succ ess
As with previous years, we asked owners,
managers, directors, VPs, presidents, board
number one metric used by their staffing firms
to measure success. The single most important
metric was “total number of placements.” “Fill
gross margin of placement fee,” “total number of
job orders,” and lastly, “time-to-fill.”
50%
40%
37.6%
30%
29.0%
20%
12.2%
10%
10.5%
URING S
rate” came next, followed by “hit rate,” “average
60%
MEAS
executives and C-level executives to rank the
Most Important Performance Metric
for Staffing Firms
6.6%
4.1%
0%
Total Number
of Placements
Fill Rate
UCCESS
Hit Rate Average Gross
Total
Time-to-Fill
Margin of Number of
Placement Fee Job Orders
This is a departure from the 2012 report, which
saw “hit rate” as the most important metric for
11

12. measuring agency performance, at
Most Important Peformance Metric
for Staffing Firms by Year
35.3%. This was followed by “total
number of placements” (32.3%), “fill
40%
rate” (21.5%), and “average gross
35%
margin of placement fee” (18.4%).
30%
Both this year and last year, however,
“total number of job orders” and
25%
20%
15%
10%
“time-to-fill” came in second-to-
5%
last and last in terms of importance,
0%
Total Number
of Placements
respectively. Interestingly, “total
Fill Rate
number of placements” was also most
2010
important in 2010, followed by “fill
Average Gross
Margin of
Placement Fee
Hit Rate
2011
Total
Number of
Job Orders
Time-to-Fill
2012
rate” and “total number of job orders.”
Whether claiming the top spot or not,
“total number of placements” is a
hugely important metric in determining
company performance.
Placements Still Dominant Metric for Sal es
When asked for the number one metric they used to track their most effective salespeople, agency executives
responded with exactly the same order of preference as in 2011. “Number of placements” was number one,
Measuring Most
Effective Salespeople
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Number of
Placements
Number of
Job Orders
Placement Ratios
Number of
Interviews Set
2010
Number of
Contracts
2011
Time-to-Fill
Other
Difficult to Track
2012
12

13. followed by “number of job orders,” “placement ratios,” “number of interviews set,” “number of contracts,”
and “time-to-fill.” A small percentage used other metrics for determining sales effectiveness, including “gross
margin produced” and “revenue generated,” while a still smaller number claimed it was “difficult to track.”
One respondent listed the most important metric as candidate “attrition rate.”
Use of the top five metrics for measuring salesperson effectiveness – “number of placements,” “number of
job orders,” “placement ratios,” “number of interviews set,” and “number of contracts” – all increased over
both 2011 and 2010. This increasing reliance on performance metrics by staffing firms is an encouraging
trend. As the adage goes, “you cannot manage what you cannot measure.”
Average Hit
Rate Varies
Between
In d ust r i es
submissions (sendouts) times
only a slightly higher average hit
100” – was between 21-30%,
rate than mid-sized and large
with a gradual lead-up and
firms, this is due to a combination
decline and then an increase
of extremely low and high rates
around the 51-60% and 60%+
within the category. While some
The most commonly reported
marks. Who were these outliers
small firms were batting 1,000,
average hit rate for 2012 –
with hit rates of more than 50%?
some were batting 100.
described as “number of
The data shows they all came
successful placements (starts)
from small staffing firms. Even
divided by total number of client
though small firms demonstrated
Average Hit Rate
25%
Average Hit Rate
by Firm Type
50%
23.6%
20%
40%
15.7%
15%
13.3%
8.6%
10%
5%
12.7%
13.9%
9.2%
30%
39%
37%
Executive
Search
Temporary
34%
35%
Direct Hire
Contract/
Consulting
20%
10%
2.8%
0.2%
0%
<1%
2-5%
6-10%
11-20% 21-30% 31-40% 41-50% 51-60% >60%
0%
13

14. Segmented by type of firm, the averages were surprisingly consistent, with executive search, temporary,
direct hire, and contract firms all reporting hit rates of around 35%. Nonetheless, in both hit rate and
applications per job post executive search recruiters came out slightly ahead of their peers.
From the standpoint of industry served, Real Estate had the highest average hit rate at 45%. This was
followed by Construction at 43%, Industrial at 41%, and Office/Clerical at 40%. Legal had the lowest hit
rate of any industry covered, at 24%. Given the widely reported jobs shortage for lawyers, this finding
isn’t surprising.
Average Hit Rate by Industry
Real Estate
Construction
Industrial
Office / Clerical
Sales
Energy / Mining
Accounting / Banking / Finance
Healthcare
Scientific / Engineering
Advertising / Creative / Marketing
Information Technology
Public Sector
Legal
45%
Average Hit Rate
by Firm Size
43%
41%
50%
40%
39%
40%
39%
30%
36.0%
35.6%
Small
Mid-Size
37%
32.7%
20%
37%
36%
10%
35%
0%
33%
28%
Large
24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
As mentioned earlier, respondents from small, mid-sized, and large staffing firms all reported fairly
similar average hit rates around the mid-thirties. Nevertheless, large firms did see a slightly lower hit rate
percentage than small and mid-sized staffing agencies.
Sales: Taking Care of B u s i ness
To understand “a day in the life” of salespeople, we asked a series of questions to assess the time they spent
out of the office meeting with people, managing accounts, and attracting new clients.
Working time spent in outside meetings increased significantly since last year. 72% of sales-focused
respondents spent more than ten percent of their time out of the office in meetings in 2012, compared to only
58% who did so in 2011. This is much higher than the average across all respondents (including recruiters),
14

15. in which only 49% spent more than ten percent of their time outside the office, indicating that salespeople
may be taking advantage of advances in mobile technology that enable them to be both productive and
untethered (discussed in the next section). Additionally, 84% of salespeople spent more than ten percent
of their time managing existing accounts, a decline from 87% in 2011.
Time Salespeople Spent
Out of Office for Meetings
50%
50%
42%
40%
40%
29%
30%
40%
32%
33%
28%
30%
21%
20%
20%
14%
11%
10%
11%
32%
29%
27%
23%
13% 16%
10%
0%
0%
<10%
10%-25%
26%-50%
2011
2012
60%
51%
47%
40%
32% 34%
30%
20%
15%
10%
12%
6%
3%
0%
<10%
10%-25%
26-50%
2011
>50%
<10%
10%-25%
26%-50%
2011
>50%
Time Spent Out of Office
for Meetings (All Respondents)
50%
Time Salespeople Spent
Managing Existing Accounts
>50%
2012
Working
time spent
in outside
meetings
increased
significantly
since last
year.
2012
15

16. Staffing firm executives were asked to identify improvements they had made in the past year to increase
business success. Nearly 63% claimed to have “increased focus on strengthening new and existing client
relationships.” However, in terms of growing their account rosters, only 10.9% of salespeople reported
spending more than half of their time attracting new clients.
Time Salespeople Spent
Attracting New Clients
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Salespeople Who Spent at Least Half
Their Time Attracting New Clients
30%
25%
22.0%
20%
17.0%
15%
42.0%
11.7%
36.4%
10.9%
2011
2011
10%
25.6% 27.0%
20.7% 25.7%
11.7% 10.9%
5%
0%
<10%
10%-30%
2011
31-50%
>50%
2009
2010
2012
It is important to note that time spent attracting new clients has fallen in the past several years, with 11.7%
of salespeople allotting more than half of their time to it in 2011, 17% doing so in 2010, and 22% in 2009.
Greater efficiency gleaned from using social media to attract clients could account for this decrease in time.
Among salespeople specifically, “developing new client leads” was the second biggest benefit of social
recruiting; it came in third when averaged across all respondents. Overall, in 2012, salespeople spent more
time meeting with prospects and clients outside and less time managing existing accounts or attracting
new clients.
16

17. Mobile: A Boon for SALE S R oa d Wa r r i o r s
Given that the majority of
mobile ATS/CRM enthusiasts
outside in meetings considered
respondents reported
(across roles) as a rule spent
mobile access important,
face-to-face networking
considerably more time out of
with 85.7% considering it
events to be one of the best
the office untethered than their
“extremely important.” It’s
ways to attract new clients, it’s
counterparts. While mobile ATS/
unclear whether salespeople
no surprise that 83.9% thought
CRM functionality has advanced
who appreciated mobile
mobile access to their ATS/
considerably in the past few
technology were able to spend
CRM system was important
years, it doesn’t appear that
more time outside the office
(compared to 80% in 2011).
recruiters are fully leveraging
by virtue of using it, or if busy
However, of the respondents
the physical freedom such
field sales professionals took
who considered mobile CRM
technology affords them.
advantage of mobile solutions
“extremely important,” a still
sizeable 42.3% spent less than
10 percent of their time out of
the office. That’s less than the
total average of 51%, but not by
much. There’s no indication that
by necessity. Nevertheless, there
Salespeople, however, are a
is a link between salespeople
different story. One-hundred
appreciating mobile ATS access
percent of the staffing
and spending more time out of
salespeople polled who spent
the office.
more than half their time
Importance of Mobile Access to Recruiting
Technology (All Respondents)
RECRUI T
49% 53%
31%
31%
11% 11%
Extremely
Important
Somewhat
Important
Not Important
2012
ECHNO L
2011
9% 6%
Neutral
ING T
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
OGY
17

18. ATS/CRM No Longer a Luxury, But a Ne c ess i ty
On the subject of ATS/CRM technology in 2012,
Importance of ATS/CRM
Technology to Recruiters
87% of respondents agreed that such systems
were important to the success of their business,
with 61.9% considering them “extremely
important.” This is an increase over the 83.6%
of recruiters who considered ATS/CRM systems
important in 2011, indicating that as ATS/CRM
technology continues to improve and iterate, the
role it plays in ensuring staffing agency success
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
62% 62%
22%
25%
14% 10%
3%
Extremely
Important
grows stronger.
Somewhat
Important
2011
Neutral
3%
Not Important
2012
Broken out by company size, it’s recruiters
from mid-sized firms who considered ATS/
CRM technology most important to business,
followed by those at large firms. While only 85%
of respondents at small firms felt ATS/CRM was
important, that’s still an improvement over 2011
figures. The opposite is true for respondents from
large staffing firms. All respondents from large
firms in the 2011 survey reported that ATS/CRM
technology was important but only 88% did so in
the 2012 survey.
Respondents Who Believe
ATS/CRM is Important by Firm Size
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
89% 92%
81% 85%
Small
Mid-Size
2011
100%
88%
Large
2012
Show Me the M oney?
Respondents perceived their pay as being better in 2012 than 2011, but for 2013 the collective numbers
indicate an expected decline.
COMPEN SAT
Nearly 63% of North American recruiting professionals said their average compensation (salary and bonus)
increased in 2012. Almost 25% of respondents said their compensation remained the same as 2011, and
12.8% reported that it decreased. This is a slight improvement over the previous year’s figures, which showed
ION
61% of recruiters increasing their 2011 compensation compared to 2010. While more recruiters experienced
18

19. Total Compensation Change
Year Over Year
80%
60%
60%
with 2011 (12.8% versus 11% respectively),
2012 was a much better year than 2010, when
63%
22% of respondents saw their income decline
56%
from 2009 levels.
40%
22%
29%
25%
22%
20%
11% 13%
0%
Increased
No Change
2010
2011
Decreased
88%
77%
81.3% of recruiting professionals expected
their total compensation to increase over 2012
figures. In comparison, 77% of respondents
expected a compensation increase for 2012.
2012
A whopping 88% expected an increase for 2011,
Total Compensation Expectation
Change for Upcoming Year
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
a compensation decrease in 2012 compared
likely due to the 22% whose salary declined
in 2010.
81%
20%
11%
17%
1% 3% 2%
Increased
No Change
2011
2012
Decreased
2013
Management Gets a Raise While
Rec ruiters Brac e f o r Lowe r Pay
To get a better sense of how pay varied between roles, Bullhorn calculated average total expected
compensation for 2013 (compared to expectations for 2012 and for 2011) by job level. While board/C-level/
owner/president-level respondents expected their compensation to increase in 2012 and decrease slightly
this year, the most remarkable finding is that recruiters/account managers/sales representatives have
anticipated continually-reduced compensation over the past three years. VPs, directors, and managers have
seen a steady increase, while recruiters and salespeople have seen a steady decrease.
19

20. Expected total compensation in 2013 for board/
C-level/owner/president-level respondents
Total Compensation Expectation
for Upcoming Year by Role
was $189,306. This is lower than last year’s
$250,000
expectation ($197,061), but higher than 2011
$200,000
($175,500).
$150,000
The average total compensation expectation
for VPs, directors, and managers was $139,314
for 2013. This is higher than the expected
$130,298 for 2012 and $127,059 for 2011.
Anticipated compensation for recruiters,
$100,000
$50,000
$0
Board / C-level /
Owner / President
for 2011
Vice President /
Director /
Manager
for 2012
Recruiter / Account
Manager / Sales
Representative
for 2013
account managers, and sales reps averaged
$104,863 for 2011 on the heels of the Great
Recession. The expectation for 2012 was a
slightly lower $97,048. However, for this year it
decreased dramatically to $82,269. While these
figures still position recruiting as a lucrative
profession, those working on the front lines are
bracing for reduced compensation.
Looking at total compensation expectation by firm size, the findings are even more interesting. Recruiters
and salespeople across every firm size expected lower pay in 2013 compared with 2012. VPs, directors,
and managers across every firm size expected higher pay in 2013 than in 2012. And with the exception of
mid-sized firms, board members and C-level executives expected a decrease in 2013 compared to 2012.
2011 data is not included here due to insufficient large-firm sample size.
2
0

21. Compensation Expectation for Upcoming Year
by Firm Size and Role
SMALL
Board / C-level / Owner / President
Vice President / Director / Manger
Recruiter / Acccount Manager / Sales Representative
MID-SIZE
Board / C-level / Owner / President
Vice President / Director / Manger
Recruiter / Acccount Manager / Sales Representative
LARGE
Board / C-level / Owner / President
Vice President / Director / Manger
2012
$350,000
$300,000
$250,000
$200,000
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
0
Recruiter / Acccount Manager / Sales Representative
2013
Pay Increased for
New H ir es
Overall, candidates who found new jobs had a
good 2012 financially. In evaluating candidate
compensation in their respective job sectors
over the past year, 46.5% of recruiters said it
had increased, 46.2% said it did not change,
Average Candidate Compensation
Change Year Over Year
7%
and only 7.4% felt it had decreased. As the
economy continued its gradual recovery,
candidate salaries grew healthier. Additionally,
47%
46%
Increased
Remained the Same
Decreased
the candidates who did get hired were likely the
skilled ones over which clients were competing,
thus driving up new hire compensation.
21

22. Conclusion
While 2012 represented several steps forward for the staffing industry in terms of recruiting technology
advancements and nearly-universal adoption of social media, compensation expectations for recruiters,
account managers, and sales representatives dropped significantly. 2012 seemed to introduce new problems
just as it solved older ones. Staffing professionals expect 2013 to be a year of considerable growth for their
firms – notably from the perspective of revenue, global expansion, and personnel – but new challenges will
arise in the coming months. While its effects are yet to be seen, 2013 will be a pivotal year in shaping the future
of recruiting.
About the North American Staffing
and Recruiting Trends Report
Of the 1,848 staffing professionals who
completed our survey, 84% were from the
United States, 8.2% from Canada, 0.4% from
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 0.1% from Puerto
Q: What is the total number of salespeople
and recruiters in your company?
Rico. Anyone who did not work in North America
16%
was automatically screened out of the survey.
In terms of roles and responsibilities, 59.2%
of survey-takers were recruiters, account
managers, or sales representatives; 22% were
1-19
20-100
More than 100
25%
59%
vice presidents, directors, or managers; 16.3%
were board members, C-level executives,
owners, or presidents; and 2.5% held
miscellaneous agency positions.
22

23. Q: For what type of positions do you primarily
recruit or conduct sales (choose all that apply)?
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
77.0%
63.6%
37.2%
26.7%
4.2%
Direct Hire
(contingent)
Executive Search
(retained)
Contract /
Consulting
Short-term /
Temporary
Other
Please Specify
Please indicate which industry sectors
you primarily serve (choose up to 3).
Accounting / Banking / Finance
Advertising / Creative / Marketing
Construction
Energy / Mining
Healthcare
Industrial
Information Technology
Legal
Office / Clerical
Public Sector
Real Estate
Sales
Scientific / Engineering
Other, Please Specify
29.2%
8.6%
4.2%
9.8%
20.8%
11.9%
50.1%
3.5%
11.4%
2.0%
1.2%
11.6%
18.5%
12.9%
0
20
40
60
80
100
About Bullhorn
Bullhorn® creates software and services that help recruiters put the world to work. For over ten years our
innovations have powered the recruiting and staffing operations of fast-growing start-ups up through the world’s
largest employment brands. Headquartered in Boston, with offices in St. Louis, Vancouver, London and Sydney,
Bullhorn’s recruiting CRM and social recruiting products serve more than 10,000 clients representing nearly
200,000 users across 150 countries.
For more information: Please visit www.bullhorn.com or call +1(888) GoLive8.
1.888.GoLive8 • sales@bullhorn.com • @bullhorn
Bullhorn is a registered trademark of Bullhorn, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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